Follow In My Footsteps
by callmeisukesama
Summary: He saved me. He adopted me and gave me a new home. He trained me to become an assassin and assist him in his work. His work as a hit man.
1. Chapter 1

Follow In My Footsteps

I didn't quite understand what was going on until I saw him die in front of me. His body just lay there, without moving. I called out to him several times, but to no success. He was dead. Now I knew I was next.

My biological parents never fed me nor my brother. We had to starve for days, and eat from the garbage bags that lay scattered everywhere. Rotting food is what we ate to survive. My brother cried and cried all night. They would shout at us and beat us if we ever made a sound that disrupted their peace, or at least in this case, their madness. They neglected us as if we were burdens to them. They barely gave us clothes, or a blanket so I can cuddle close to my young brother. He was always freezing so I gave him the blanket for his sake. I didn't mind the cold. Somehow it did not bother me.

We were like this for years, until that day came. The day I was rescued and given a new home, but also lost the only human I ever cared for as a big sister. His corpse lay a few inches from me. His short, brown hair covered his lifeless face. And I couldn't do anything to have prevented his death. I was helpless.

I sat there, preparing for the worst to come. My death was approaching. I didn't have much time to process all this. I clenched my fists tight and closed my eyes shut. I kept saying in my mind that everything will be alright and that soon I will see his big smile.

But when I opened them I was surprised to see that I was not in paradise. I heard two loud gun shots, followed by loud thumps as if two bodies fell on the floor with a hard impact. I saw a man with a rain coat who was dragging the bodies into a closet and closing the door.

I could hear the loud rattle of rain hitting the surface of the windows outside. I thought that he was an intruder or perhaps the police, but he didn't have a police uniform or a badge on his rain coat. I kept staring at him, waiting to get a clearer image of the man. He turned around and looked at me.

"My name is Eisuke. You're Isuke Inukai from today on. You're my daughter from today on. You hear me? You get me?"

He patted me on my head in a gentle manner. I didn't say anything. I kept staring at him. I then looked at my dead parents' corpses which I could barely get a clear look. Their faces were covered, and their bodies were stained by their own blood.

"They may have been your parents, but they were about to let you die. So I killed them."

I looked back at him, I was horrified when he said the word "killed". I couldn't understand why he was able to say that and not feel disturbed or disgusted at all.

"Let's get out of here. Come. I will take care of you," he said as he slowly lifted my hands. I looked at the floor, trying to comprehend what he just said. A new home? With a stranger I just met a few minutes ago? What if he is deceiving me? What if he wants to kill me too? Should I try to escape?

He kissed my hands, and said," Help me in my work. Follow in my footsteps. Succeed me."

"Work…" I barely said the word loud enough for the man to hear.

"That's right. It's important work. Occupation: assassin. In other words, a hit man."

I thought in that moment to at least help him in whatever work that he was talking about in exchange for saving my life. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead right now, and be another dead corpse lying on the floor, a few inches apart from my little brother.

I held my finger tight on his grip to let him know that I trust his words. He stood up and led the way out the door. And I got the last look of my dead brother's corpse before leaving forever.

He opened the door and I went in. He closed it and went to the driver's seat. His car was nothing of luxury, just a simple vehicle.


	2. Chapter 2

To my readers who have gotten an interest for this story, thanks for reading it. I didn't expect much from it and I didn't do a good job on the ending so sorry about that. I should have included the summary of this story on Chapter 1, but instead I'll add it here. So the whole point of this story is what may have happened after Eisuke adopted Isuke, this is all in Isuke's point of view. For example, how Isuke met her papa, or how Isuke became an assassin, and the dad has not been aware of his daughter and husband being assassins. This is what I think may have occurred. Also there will be villains in this story. Other hit men that try to kill Eisuke. This story won't be that long, just a few chapters, maybe up to 10, we'll see. Also reviews are much appreciated, or feedback. Enjoy Chapter 2 : )

We arrived at a dark secluded area where no other houses can be seen. All I saw was a fair-built house of crimson bricks serving as the rooftop. The house was sort of covered by nearby growing trees. It had a small balcony and a porch for anyone to hang outside. Basically a sturdy two-story residence. Perimeters of the grounds were patrolled by armed security, and every inch of the property was wired with cameras, security lighting, and motion sensors. Eight acres of scrub and savannah, a pasture and paddock, a pond, a stream, avocado, lemon, and orange trees loaded with fruit. The mailbox was entirely hidden by tall grass.

As I observed the house for a little longer, the man got out of his car and grabbed an umbrella and opened it up to cover himself. He opened the door to my side and hovered the umbrella over my head so that I wouldn't get wet. I got up and the man slowly grabbed my hand and led the way to the house. He opened the gate He opened the gate first and then locked it. We walked to the front of the house. He grabbed the keys from his pocket and opened the door. I went inside and was appalled by what my eyes bestowed upon. Clean white walls, a desk with a computer next to the window, a thin scarlet carpet, a 42" flat screen T.V, several portraits of Eisuke, accompanied by a dark brown haired man. There was also a brown plaid sofa, with heavy oak arms, a bookcase nearly stocked with paperbacks, a cabinet on the right side, a trestle table, small desks with lamps on top to illuminate the whole living room, and finally a small red chimney decorated with antique wine and champagne bottles. The décor was stunning.

"Welcome to your new home, Isuke." The man took off his rain coat and placed it on a coat rack. He placed the umbrella inside the cabinet and closed it.

I decided to wander around the living room and observe the man's furniture.

"I know this must be confusing and strange for you to understand, Isuke, but you will have to get used to this place. For now you may feel uncomfortable but I promise you will get attached to it. And before I forget, you may refer to me as Mama, Ma, or Eisuke, whichever suits you."

"Mama..." I simply muttered the word as I felt comfortable calling him that.

He smiled and held my chin firmly so his eyes would meet mine.

"That's right, darling. I'm your mama. And I promise I will give you all the love and care a mother should give to their child. Even if you are not my biological child, I consider you my precious daughter."

Somehow his words made me feel at ease. He didn't show any signs of harm, he only showed signs of a parent.

"Seems like you need a bath. I'll get the water running.

The white haired man made his way went upstairs and switched on the handle for hot and cold water. I went upstairs and saw him feeling the temperature of the water.

"Okay, the water is nice and warm. Isuke, honey, I need you to get in the bath and get squeaky clean for Mama, okay? I'll leave you alone for you to get undressed and into the bathtub. If you need anything, just give me a call and I'll be right there, okay?"

"Yes, Mama."

Eisuke got up on his feet and closed the door. I looked around the bathroom. Clean white tiles, and a soft brown rug. There were two toothbrushes on the sink. Was there someone else living here? I forgot about my thought and proceeded to get my dirty clothes off and get into the bathtub. The water was warm. There was even a duck toy to accompany my bath. I squeezed it and a squeal came out. I giggled and put some shampoo on top of my head. I scrubbed my back with a sponge and cleaned out all the dirty stains on my body. After I was done, I turned off the water. I wrapped a towel around my bare chest and called out to Mama.

"All finished? Good girl, I'm going to dry you up and give you a nice pair of pajamas. Afterwards I'll introduce you to your own room."

He dried off my hair and my feet. Then he brought the pajamas and chuckled as he placed them on me.

"You look so cute in those pajamas."

I blushed.

"Mama?

"Yes? What is it, honey?"

"Um, did you really mean it when you said you are going to take care of me?"

"Of course I meant it, sweetie. You're my daughter and I love you very much, I know it's difficult to understand this whole situation with your biological parents' deaths, but if it weren't for me coming into the apartment, you would have died. I did it to save you and give you another opportunity at having a family who care about you. I care about you. You are my family , Isuke."

"And what about the whole assassin thing?"

"Don't worry about that now. Let's save that talk for when you're a bit older."

Eisuke smiled at me and carried me to my new room. It was filled with plush toys, , posters, Barbie dolls, and a play house. I even had my own computer and television.

"Welcome to your own room."

My bed was very soft. It had a soft fabric covering the whole bed. Everything was almost in pink, my pillows, blankets, clothes, toys, and my computer.

"Hope you like your room. I know there's a lot of stuff in here and you probably won't get used to this kind of luxury stuff for a while but I assure you, it will get filled when you go shopping."

"I like it. Everything in here is so lively and pink. Thank you, mama."

"Well, dinner is almost ready. I'll go check on the food. Meanwhile you should explore your room. And start getting used to it."

I couldn't believe how spacious my room was. Everything was nicely organized. This was my first room. How should I even start? I couldn't decide whether I should play with my toys, or turn on the computer. I never experienced this kind of life. I was so used to just sobbing on the floor, wondering why I had such a miserable life, sunk in poverty, starving for hours, having no love or comfort from an adult. This all felt weird and unexpected. I had no idea how I could ever live a life of money and luxury. But something deep in my heart told me to become greedy, and selfish.

I heard a loud knock on the door. I went over to the living room. Eisuke walked past me and opened the door.

"Eisuke, honey I'm home."

A man's voice could be heard. He had dark brown hair and wore a black vest over a white shirt. Eisuke kissed the man on the lips and held the man's left hand.

"Takeshi, I'm very glad you came home. I have someone I'd like you to meet."

"Oh? Is that right? I'm excited to know who this person is."

His eyes met mine. And for a moment, the whole house went silent. I stood there staring back at the man. His lips formed into a big smile.

"Oh my! Eisuke, please tell me! Is she our new daughter!? When did this happen? I thought I would never get the chance to become a father!" Takeshi's eyes were filled with water.

"Well, this was the surprise I kept telling you about. She is the perfect daughter for the both of us. Her name is Isuke.'

"Oh I see! Isuke is derived from Eisuke, such a cute name, I love it! She is the perfect gift that any parent can wish for!"

The man hugged Eisuke and and kept kissing him to show his immense love.

"Iknow it's been so long. And I've been growing impatient trying to find us a child to adopt. We have to discipline her, and lead the way for her. And also protect her from anyone who dares to take her away from us."

"Don't worry, Eisuke. We will do a great job. I am ready to be her father."

"You're my papa?"

Takeshi kneeled down and cupped his hands around my cheeks.

"Yes, darling, I'm your papa." He hugged me tight and shed tears of joy.

"Now then. Let's eat together as a family."

After dinner, Takeshi helped me with my tangled hair. I had a few knots to get rid of. He played with my hair and then combed it.

"So Isuke, what do you think of your new home?"

"I love it. Everything is beautiful. And I also love my new room. I never had so many toys to play with before. It all feels strange to me."

"Don't worry, sweetie, in a couple of months, you'll get used to you'll get comfortable living here with your mama and papa."

Takeshi tucked me in and stoked my hair slowly to make me fall asleep.

"Papa, can you tell me a bedtime story?"

Takeshi smiled and agreed.

"Once upon a time, there lived a girl who was trapped inside a dark castle…"

He turned to me and noticed I fell asleep.

"Goodnight Isuke, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite," said Takeshi as he kissed my forehead and closed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

So here is chapter 3. Hope I didn't keep anyone waiting too long. Also the story is told by third person point of view. And this chapter is mostly about Eisuke's hitman business and how he gets anonymous callers to offer him money for killing. And the first villains are finally introduced :D Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Eisuke's cellphone vibrated, and he dug it out of his pant pocket to check. An unknown number had just informed him that he had a new assignment waiting, so he told Takeshi he had to take care of an errand from his job and he will be back in a few hours. Takeshi had to take care of Isuke for tonight.

"How much is the kill worth?"

"600,000 yen. In cash."

"Consider it done."

Eisuke opened up the file to get a bit of info on his target. The contract read: the target is a dangerous business man named Hoshi Yamamoto, aged 35, his technique in killing is poisoning his victim's drinks, and is skilled with using garotte wires. He keeps contacts to have his records clean. This mission was chosen by an anonymous person to offer Mr. Inukai a lucrative proposition, if interested, to eliminate the target.

The destination of the target was 10 miles away from Eisuke's residence. Eisuke left a confirmation message to the anonymous caller to once again confirm that he will perform the assassination. Eisuke pulled out his 9mm pistol silencer and made sure it was fully loaded. Eisuke loved using this kind of weapon since the weapon itself is silent when the trigger is pulled. And it's the first weapon Eisuke had bought in his earlier years as a beginner in assassination. Wherever he went, the pistol was always with him, whether for killing or for defensive purposes.

He got out of the car and noticed the target's vehicle was nowhere to be seen. Which means he hasn't yet arrived. It was perfect for Eisuke. He could use this opportunity to sneak inside the house and wait in the shadows until his target arrives.

Eisuke looked around the house to search for any openings. There was a window that was half opened and he carefully slid in and landed inside the house with ease. He tiptoed his way to a closet and hid inside. After a couple of minutes of waiting, he heard the door open. He looked through the small opening of the closet hole and saw it was his target. He looked tired, perhaps from hours of work. Eisuke waited patiently for his target to get defenseless. Once he saw the man place his garotte wire inside a cabinet, he quietly moved outside in stealth mode and immediately pulled out his pistol and aimed at the man's head.

"What the hell!?" The man screamed in panic as he was caught in surprise as Eisuke already had him cornered.

"Nothing personal, Yamamoto, just business."

His brains splattered everywhere and his body dropped on the floor. Eisuke had some blood spilled all over his face and wiped it with a handkerchief. He then opened the door and got inside his car. He called the anonymous caller.

"It's been taken care of."

"Already? My, you are persistent with time, aren't you Mr. Inukai?"

"I use my time wisely. As for the money. I assume you have it all ready?"

"Right of course. I'll send one of my bodyguards to give you the money. Also if you are interested in any more tasks like this, don't hesitate to give me a phone call. Good day, Inukai."

Eisuke parked in a dark alley and saw a man in a dark suit approach his car. The man simply gave Eisuke the suitcase and then departed from Eisuke's sight. Eisuke was proud of yet another successful assassination, which also helps his reputation as a hitman.

He then proceeded to head home. Isuke and Takeshi were already asleep, and Eisuke carried Isuke to her bedroom. She was murmuring some words while still in her sleep, and Eisuke stroked her pink hair gently. He tucked her in nicely and kissed her forehead.

The next day Eisuke woke up and noticed his husband was hugging him and Eisuke smile and kissed his lips.

"Good morning honey. When did you come home last night?"

"I'm sorry if I took long. It was past midnight when I arrived. How was Isuke?"

"Isuke kept asking where you went, she even cried for a bit."

"Aww I feel so bad now. I'll make it up to her."

It's been eight months since Isuke was rescued by her Mama. Now she has grown accustomed to her new home. She no longer feels like a stranger, but instead she feels like she is finally living with a real family.

Eisuke headed downstairs to prepare some breakfast for his husband and daughter. He made pancakes, eggs and bacon, and also French toast.

"Isuke, honey breakfast is ready!"

Isuke woke up and rubbed her eyes and hurried down the stairs.

"Mama, what are you making?"

"I made your favorite pancakes! But you know my rules, no clean teeth, no pancakes," Eisuke teased.

Isuke giggled and ran to the bathroom to do as her Mama says. Then she ran back to the kitchen and also saw her Papa seated at the dinner table.

"Here you guys go," Eisuke placed the pancakes in front of Isuke and Takeshi.

"Yum, they look so good!?"

"Oh and before I forget I'm taking us all to the park, all three of us need some time together."

"Cool! Can we go now?" asked Isuke excitedly.

"I thought we could go after I show you where I work."

"Oh? Why for?" asked Takeshi curiously.

"I just want her to know where I work. In the past months I never gave Isuke the chance to get a look at my office so I decided why not today since I have no work today.

"Ah! Sounds like a great idea to me! I hope you both have fun!"

Isuke grabbed her Mama's hand firmly and headed to the car and jumped inside all excited. For Isuke, she hoped to find toys and maybe other kids to play with, she imagined a playground instead of an office, her mind came up with all sorts of innocent thoughts.

When they arrived, Isuke was a little surprised not to find any kids nearby. She only saw men in black suits carrying suitcases. Others were speaking on their cellphones or exchanging papers with other business employees.

"Mama, where is the playground and toys and kids?"

Eisuke chuckled a bit.

"Oh honey, none of that stuff is in here. This is a business corporation. Here people work with employees and discuss about what products need to be manufactured, or if there are any current issues that need to be taken care of. I am a business man, and I have colleagues who also work here to exchange info with other people from different corporations. You get me?"

Isuke nodded. She was a bit upset not to find any of what she expected. Eisuke noticed her sad expression and stopped to look at her.

"Hey don't worry, I promise I will take you to the park afterwards. I just need you to see where I mostly take care of my real job."

"You mean your assassination job?"

"That's right. This is where I started getting my contacts with other hitmen. This place also connects with assassins, and only me and a few other assassins work in this place. It's like a secret organization kept hidden from normal people. Now let's go to my office."

Eisuke opened the door and Isuke was appalled by the sight. Eisuke's office was very organized. He had all his papers stacked neatly next to the computer, and he had a bookshelf, a projector screen, a long table where most of his discussions take place and a coffee machine.

"Wow Mama this place is so cool."

"Yes and one day you will take over as my successor.'

"When will I begin to train?"

"Soon my little Isuke."

Eisuke began to play around with Isuke by carrying her and tickling her stomach, which made Isuke stifle cute little laughs and she wiggled around in his arms. As they were having some family fun, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Eisuke as he put Isuke down.

"Ah good morning Eisuke." greeted a man in a dark blue suit. He wore glasses that hid his eyes, and he had a rough voice.

"Good morning Atsushi Akihiko. What brings you here?"

Atsushi cleared his throat before replying.

"Well, I have an urgent matter at hand. I need someone to take care of a rival of mine. He has been meddling with some of my business affairs and I've had enough. So I thought I would offer you to get rid of that guy."

Atsushi's eyes moved slowly to where Isuke was standing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, who is this cute little child? Is she your daughter?"

"Ah, yes. She is Isuke, my little Isuke."

Isuke was a little intimidated by the man's muscular appearance. She hid behind her Mama's legs and held on to his suit. Atsushi stroked Isuke's hair slowly and chuckled.

"My, what a cute little name for a girl. I never knew you were married, Eisuke. What is your wife's name?"

"Actually I married a man. Isuke is my adoptive child."

"Oh my bad, I'm sorry if I do sound a bit rude, that is not my intention at all."

"It's fine. So about this rival of yours? How much are we talking?"

"500,000 yen, in cash. Don't worry, I'll have the money. Here is a file of my target. It has the directions to his home and anything else you need to know about him. I'll see you later, Eisuke. And I'll see you later, Isuke."

The man gave Isuke chills, she felt as if this man was hiding something. He acted so suspicious. Isuke didn't know how well Eisuke knew Atsushi, but this man was not to be trusted. The way he looked at Isuke was very disturbing to her. As the man had already left the room, Isuke kept clinging on to Eisuke's leg. Eisuke noticed this and looked at Isuke.

"Isuke, are you alright?"

Isuke began to shake and closed her eyes tightly. She grabbed a hold of Eisuke's hand firmly.

"Mama are you really friends with that man?"

"Hm? Yes, why? What's the problem?"

"He can't be trusted. He acted so suspicious, Mama you shouldn't interact with him anymore."

"Isuke what has gotten into you? I've known that man for years. He is a friend. Did he do anything that made you feel uncomfortable?"

Isuke didn't say a word. She closed her eyes and kept on pulling onto Eisuke's sleeve. Eisuke lifted her head up. Isuke opened her eyes and avoided her gaze with Eisuke.

"Isuke, look at me. There's nothing to be afraid about. I'm here with you."

"Can we go to the park now?"

Eisuke smiled and led Isuke out of the office and drove to their house to pick up Takeshi and head to the park. Isuke was riding on the swing set while Takeshi was giving her some help by pushing her to go a bit higher.

Eisuke kept having a serious expression on his face.

"Eisuke, honey what's wrong?" asked Takeshi.

"Hm? Oh nothing."

Takeshi walked over to Eisuke's side and hugged him by the waist.

"You can tell me anything that's bothering you, I will help you solve whatever problem you're having."

Eisuke was touched by Takeshi's kind words but he couldn't say a word about his assassination business.

"I know, it's just something from my business meeting but it's nothing serious. Takeshi, don't worry about it. I can solve it out myself."

Takeshi giggled and turned Eisuke around so his eyes can meet Takeshi's.

"Right. Then in that case I hope you fix your problems. Your hair is so messy by the way. Let me fix it for you. "

Takeshi played around with Eisuke's hair and began to run his hands into his hair and get it all ruined.

"Haha, Takeshi you're making it worse".

"I'm sorry I can't hear you," teased Takeshi while laughing and tickling his husband. Eisuke grabbed Takeshi by the collar and kissed him passionately. Takeshi was stopped by the kiss and sunk inti the passion of their two lips touching each other. Eisuke had forgotten the last time they had passionate kisses since he has been committed to his work. Sometimes Takeshi would wait for his husband to come back from work only to fall asleep and then wake up in the morning and seeing Eisuke sleep next to him. They haven't had much communication for several weeks due to hours of work, so they both decided to have today off and enjoy time together with their adopted child.

Their moment of kissing had made them forget to keep a watch on Isuke as she began to wander off with the other children playing on the sand. They were throwing baseballs around. Their parents were there but there was also a strange car parked close to where Isuke was. Isuke was not aware of the man approaching her but hid in the bushes. The baseball was thrown far from the parents' view and Isuke ran after it. She ran a few feet away where no one else could be seen. The man in a dark black leather jacket stalked Isuke quietly. As Isuke kept chasing the baseball she heard a twig crack and turned around. She saw the man as he threatened her by grabbing her arm and dragging her away from the people.

"Hey! Get off me! What are you doing!?"

"Shut up you little brat!"

She struggled to free herself. She kept calling out to her mama and papa but no one could hear her. She bit the man's hand and he screamed in pain.

"Aaaahhh! Fuck, she's getting away!" The man searched in his jacket for a gun. Isuke ran as fast as she could. Eisuke noticed Isuke wasn't on the swing anymore and began to panic.

"Takeshi, where is Isuke?"

"Oh no she wandered off! She was here just a few minutes ago, how did she just run off like that!"

"Let's look for her, You look on the right side, I'll look over ther! We will find her, okay?"

Eisuke began to run around looking for Isuke but couldn't find her long pink hair. He looked at the sand area and asked the parents if they had seen a girl with pink hair. They said she ran off farther away from the playground but didn't see where she went. Eisuke kept searching, he knew he wouldn't ever give up until he finds her. He looked behind bushes and at the baseball stadium but no signs of Isuke. He began to feel tears run down his cheeks and he couldn't stop. His heart was beating rapidly. He imagined the worst case scenario, Isuke was kidnapped. Eisuke couldn't get that thought out of his head. Just as he was going to call the police, he heard a voice calling out to him.

"Mama!"

He turned around and saw Isuke running to him. He ran to Isuke, and hugged her tightly in his arms.

"Mama! Mama!" Isuke began to cry.

"Isuke honey are you alright? What happened? What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

"Mama I was- "

"Haven't I told you to stay where we can see you! You gave me and Takeshi a heart attack!"

"Mama they wanted to kidnap me!"

"What!? Who?"

"A man, he wore dark clothes and he had black glasses on. He said he was going to kill me!"

"They have been following us. We have to go back home now."

Takeshi ran to where Eisuke and Isuke were and hugged Isuke tightly and kissed her forehead several times and began to scold Isuke for wandering off on her own so carelessly. She was grounded for two weeks.

"Well, did you kidnap the girl?"

"Um… no sir, I kind of got bitten by the girl and she ran off."

"You fucking idiot! You had one simple fucking job and you fucked it up! You're fucking useless! I'll handle this myself!"

The mysterious man hung up and threw his knife at the wall. He sat on his chair and smoked a cigarette while calling someone else.

"Natsume, are you there?"

"Hmm…what is it now? I'm a bit busy."

Natsume is a 38 year -old assassin. He was throwing some knives onto a dead target he had previously killed a few minutes ago. He hung up the body with a rope and used it as practice for his daily training. He was skilled in grenades, smoke bombs, and a rifle.

"Want some extra cash?"

"Huh? What's this about?"

"A simple job I have assigned for you. I need you to take care of the Inukai family. It seems they have a new addition, a certain female child has now become Eisuke's successor. You know how much I dislike Eisuke, a rival of mine, I have thought of killing him myself but I want you to have the honor to get your hands dirty by eliminating him and his precious daughter."

"His daughter, eh? Hehe, sure I'll take 'em out for ya. Make sure to have my cash ready, they'll be dead by tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Momma where are we going?" asked Isuke as she was sitting in boredom on the passenger side of the car.

"Well I need some ammo for my pistols so we're going to the nearest gun shop in this city."

They arrived to the gun shop and headed inside. Isuke was only browsing as Eisuke looked around and got an interest in some of the guns displayed.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I'm looking for some bullets for my 9mm pistol."

"May I see your gun license please?"

Eisuke reached into his pocket and took out his gun license and gave it to the clerk.

"Perfect here you go. Let me go get your ammo."

The clerk handed Eisuke his gun license and looked for the pack of bullets inside a storage room.

"Hey momma how come you only use those pistols?" asked Isuke curiously.

"Well these don't make any noise and that helps me commit the assassinations in an easier manner."

"Oh so that benefits how you kill people?"

"Yeah it does."

"Well when can I get a gun?"

"First you need a gun license, darling."

"Can I get a gun license now?"

Eisuke chuckled and patted Isuke on the head.

"Perhaps when you're much older."

Isuke sighed and huffed in disappointment.

The clerk came back with some packs of bullets and handed them to Eisuke. He paid them and headed out the shop.

* * *

The night was young and some clouds were barely covering the bright moon. Eisuke drove past the lonely streets of the city. Hardly anyone was outside as the time was 9:23 p.m. The radio was at a volume of 8 and Isuke hummed as the song played. As Eisuke drove to the right side of a road, a car drove behind them. Eisuke ignored the vehicle as it didn't seem suspicious to him. After a few minutes, the same vehicle was still driving behind them. Eisuke tried to see if he could see the face of this driver but couldn't see anything. The driver's face was concealed by the night. Eisuke began to feel like someone was following him and he made sure to take precautions.

"Isuke did you put your seatbelt on?"

"Yeah."

"Okay hold on tight."

"What's going on?"

"I think we're being followed."

Isuke turned around and saw the vehicle being driven by a dark figure. She also couldn't see who it was.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Eisuke tried to lose the vehicle by driving into a street that had other vehicles driving but it didn't work. The same vehicle was still behind him. Eisuke got tired of this and parked in a dark alley and got ready to confront whoever this person was.

"Isuke I want you to stay here and don't look behind. I'll handle this."

Eisuke loaded his two 9mm pistols and hid them in his black suit.

"What if you get hurt?"

"I won't, trust me."

"I can help, I can distract-"

"No I need you to stay here, so please obey me."

Isuke nodded and watched as Eisuke stepped out of the car and walked towards the car. The lights turned off and Eisuke tried to see who was behind the wheels.

"Excuse me sir, is there a problem?"

The man got out of the car and his face was finally shown. It was Natsume, hired to assassinate Eisuke.

"You bet there is, Inukai."

Eisuke was taken back by how this man knew his name. Eisuke has never met this man before so who was he really?

"How do you know my last name?"

"Let's just say I was hired to kill you and your precious daughter by an anonymous organization."

Eisuke made a menacing glare to show this man he was not intimidated but rather pissed off.

"So you were following us since the beginning?"

"That's right. I'm here to end your life and I am most delighted to play with your daughter. Don't think you can hide her from me."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"

"Or what? You'll kill me? You're weak!"

Natsume pulled out a knife and swung at Eisuke but he dodged it quickly. He quickly looked at the corner of his eye and saw Eisuke about to shoot him and knocked the gun out of his hand. He punched Eisuke in the abdomen and made him fall to his knees.

"That's right, fall down to your opponent. You're not stronger than me. I'll take your daughter's life after I take yours."

Eisuke quickly used his elbow to inflict pain on Natsume as he swung really hard at him. He fell on the ground and was surprised by Eisuke's quick reflexes. Isuke watched as her mother fought the man. She didn't understand why they were fighting. She wanted to help Eisuke but wasn't sure how to.

Natsume got up immediately and grabbed Eisuke by the neck and threw him on top of his car and began to punch him repeatedly.

"I'll fucking show you how I kill my victims you son of a-"

Natsume spit out blood as he was punched on his abdomen and thrown off by Eisuke. He backed away and wiped the blood from his mouth. Eisuke charged towards Natsume with all his strength and tackled him to the ground. They attacked each other with punches and kicks. But Eisuke was getting beaten really badly. His strength was worn out. Natsume had the upper hand and left Eisuke agonizing in pain.

Isuke got out of the car with a small knife held with both her hands shaking nervously.

"Stop hitting him!"

Natsume turned around to see Isuke threatening him with the knife. He chuckled and walked closer to Isuke.

"What do you plan to do with that?"

"Kill you."

"No, little girl, I don't think you understand the definition of kill. But I'll show you what it means."

"Back away or I'll really kill you!"

Eisuke tried to get up but struggled to muster any strength to fight back. He winced in pain and slowly got up using his arms.

Natsume walked closer to Isuke and threw the knife out of Isuke's hands using his dull knife.

"It's time someone taught you some manners little girl."

He raised the dull knife high in the air but before he could strike, he was impaled in the back of his torso and coughed out blood. He looked down and collapsed on the ground.

"I told you not to lay a finger on her."

"Momma!"

Isuke hugged her mother and smiled. Eisuke smiled back and was relieved to have saved both their lives. Eisuke dug into Natsume's pocket to find who he worked for. He found some cash and his cellphone. He looked through his contacts and found some text messages with the name Matsuo. The name didn't seem familiar to Eisuke but just in case he kept the phone number. He read one of the text messages that read," Let me know when you get rid of Inukai." That's when Eisuke's eyes were appalled. Someone was after Eisuke and whoever they were they plan to kill Isuke as well and perhaps even Takeshi. He threw the phone to the wall, breaking it in half.

* * *

They returned to the vehicle and drove home. Takeshi was not home yet, much to Eisuke's relief. If he had seen his husband like that he would freak out. So Eisuke had to patch up his bruises and use some makeup to cover the swollen bruises from being seen. Isuke stood beside him, not understanding how or why that man managed to leave her mother like that. She wanted to help but she wasn't ready yet.

"Momma I wanted to help out."

"I already told you, you can't."

"I just feel that I'm ready to learn how to use a knife. "

Eisuke sighed and looked down at his daughter.

"Are you sure you want to begin learning the basics of assassination?"

"Yes."

"Very well. You will begin learning tomorrow. For now, go get some rest."

Isuke walked to her room. Meanwhile, Eisuke was finishing covering all his bruises.

Takeshi came home soon and took off his jacket as he came inside.

"Wow, it's chilly outside."

Eisuke walked to the living room and greeted Takeshi.

"Welcome home love. How was work today?"

"Exhausting. I had to do a lot of paperwork so I might a little moody tonight."

Eisuke placed his arms around Takeshi's neck and gave him a quick kiss.

"Seems like you had a hard day today. How about I give you a massage?"

"I'm fine. Where is Isuke?"

"She is asleep right now."

"Then I'm off to sleep as well. You coming?"

"I'll be there I need to go tuck in Isuke."

"Okay."

Eisuke watched as his husband walked upstairs. Then he went Isuke's room and saw her still awake.

"Everything okay?"

"I guess."

"Not a word of this to Papa, okay?"

"I know."

Eisuke tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Isuke."

"Goodnight."

As soon as Isuke fell asleep, she had a nightmare. It was Eisuke and Natsume fighting. Except this time, Eisuke was fatally killed by Natsume and Isuke couldn't do anything except stand there and watch in fear. Natsume turned around and tormented her by saying her mother was too weak to kill him. She was relieved once she woke up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Isuke sighed and went back to sleep.

* * *

Soon morning came. Isuke went downstairs to find Takeshi reading some newspapers at the end of the table.

"There's my little Isuke."

He hugged Isuke but noticed Isuke wasn't smiling.

"What's wrong Isuke?"

"Nothing."

"You don't look so good. Are you sick?"

"I'm fine, Papa."

Eisuke walked in and said," Hey you too. Breakfast is almost ready."

"Honey I think Isuke caught a cold."

Eisuke turned around and looked into Isuke's golden eyes.

"Are you feeling okay Isuke?"

"Yeah, I'm not hungry either."

Isuke walked back upstairs and closed the door.

"I'm worried about her honey."

"Don't worry I'll go talk to her. Now eat up before you run out of time," said Eisuke as he served his husband his breakfast. Takeshi kissed Eisuke on the cheek and ate his whole breakfast and left to go to work. Eisuke sighed and rubbed his back. Last night was pretty painful for him since he was beaten up badly. He was just happy his husband didn't notice anything. Now he went upstairs to Isuke's room to find out what was bothering Isuke. He found her reading a book. He knocked on the door even though it was half open.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

He sat on the bed and watched Isuke reading. He sighed to get her attention but it didn't work. She kept ignoring him. He kept sighing until she said something. She finally put the book down and looked at Eisuke.

"Yes?"

"Clearly something is bothering you so just tell me."

"I rather not."

"Fine. Then let's get started on training."

"Right now?"

"Yes, just like I said yesterday."

Isuke got a little excited and raced to catch up with Eisuke. He waited for his daughter to come into the basement.

"Are we going to train in here?" asked Isuke as she entered the basement.

"Of course. This is where all your training will take place. And now, your first lesson is to grab a knife and attack me."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me."

Isuke hesitated to grab one of the knives on the shelf. She picked one and lunged towards Eisuke, but she was grabbed on the am.

"Nope, you're letting your enemy have a clear spot to kill you. Don't let your guard down. Try again."

Isuke stepped back and lunged towards him and swung her knife at him and also kept her distance.

"Much better, but this time don't give your enemy a chance to attack. Remember your life is at stake so don't play nice."

"I see."

Eisuke arranged some wooden target stands around Isuke and cleared his throat.

"Since you are new to this I decided to have you train using these target stands as practice. And until you get better these will remain here. Have fun."

"Wait where are you going?"

"I'm still a little injured so I'm going to rest for a while."

"O-okay."

Isuke was all alone in this dark area. She regretted saying she wanted to learn. Soon after, her hands got sore so she stopped for today. She searched for Eisuke only to find him still asleep. Isuke sighed and made herself comfortable by sleeping next to her momma.

"Sweet dreams, momma."


End file.
